Texas A&M
(#7) Texas
Aggies Top No. 5 Longhorns Before Record Crowd, 20-16
Nov 26, 1999 | Football
November 26, 1999
Freshman linebacker Brian Gamble recovered a Texas fumble with 23 seconds left in the game, killing a late Longhorn drive and giving the 17th-ranked Texas A&M football team an emotional, come-from-behind 20-16 victory over No. 5 Texas before a record crowd of 86,128 fans at Kyle Field Friday. The 106th meeting of the Aggies and Longhorns on the gridiron was played in front of the largest crowd to ever witness a football game in the state of Texas.
The game was played in the wake of the recent Bonfire tragedy that took the lives of 12 Aggies last Thursday. Before the contest, a moment of silence was held and 12 white doves were released into the air. Members of the Air Force Reserve's 457th Fighter Squadron performed a "missing-man" fly-by, and the football team wore black decals on the backs of their helmets as well.
Starting for the injured Major Applewhite, Texas freshman quarterback Chris Simms drove the Longhorns down to the A&M 15-yard-line, but the drive stalled when Kris Stockton's 32-yard field goal try hit the left upright and fell into the endzone.
After the teams traded punts, the Aggies took their second possession of the game at their own 48-yard line. Converting a big 4th-and-1 on the Texas 32, A&M continued the drive and scored on a 3-yard plunge by Ja'Mar Toombs to give the Aggies an early 6-0 lead. The snap for the extra point was muffed, and Shane Lechler's pass attempt was intercepted by Lee Jackson and returned 96 yards for a defensive score, making the score 6-2.
Texas took control of the game in the second quarter, scoring their first touchdown just 49 seconds into the quarter on a 14-yard scamper by Hodges Mitchell. The Horns would add another score on a long 66-yard, 14-play drive that saw them convert three 3rd-down pass plays. Chris Robertson capped the drive with a one-yard run, giving the visitors a 16-6 lead heading into the locker room at halftime.
A&M's special teams came up with a big play midway through the 3rd quarter, as they recovered a fumbled punt on the Texas 28-yard line. The Longhorn defense came through, stopping A&M on a 4th-and-1 on the UT 8. The Aggie defense returned the favor, forcing Texas to punt after going three-and-out. On the ensuing drive, the Aggies drove 46 yards in five plays and scored on a nine-yard Toombs run to cut the Texas lead to three.
Texas A&M would take the lead for good with just over five minutes left in the contest, as senior wide receiver Matt Bumgardner caught his only pass of the day, a 14-yarder from Randy McCown, to give the Aggies the 20-16 win.
"You can't put in into words," McCown said. "A game like this is something you wish for all your life. When we came out for the second half, we saw that the crowd didn't give up and believed in us."
A&M improves the nation's 4th-longest home winning streak to 19 games. The Aggie offense out-gained Texas 278-272 on the day. Ja'Mar Toombs was the leading rusher for A&M, gaining 126 yards on 37 carries and scoring twice. McCown completed 8-of-22 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown. Chris Cole was McCown's favorite target, grabbing four passes for 84 yards.
Texas was led offensively by Hodges Mitchell, who gained 102 yards on 24 rushes. Kwame Cavil was the leading receiver for UT (10-82). Simms (10-21, 130 yards) and Applewhite (5-11, 53 yards) both saw action at quarterback for the Longhorns.
Texas A&M head coach R.C. Slocum improves his overall record as the Aggie head coach to 102-31-2 overall and 60-5-1 at Kyle Field. Today's win gives Slocum victories in three of his last four matchups with top five teams.
"I thought the team did a great job of working through a lot of adversity," Texas A&M head coach R.C. Slocum said. "They remained focused on the task at hand. This is a great win for our program."
With the win, Texas A&M improves to 8-3 on the year and 5-3 in Big 12 play. Texas falls to 9-3 and 6-2 in conference action. The Aggies await bowl selections, which should be made following the Big 12 Championship game on Dec. 4.
